Perfect venues, recipes to spoil mom on Mother’s Day

Sunday this week is Mother’s Day, and here are some lunch venues (in Joburg) and recipes to treat your foodie mom.  

The whole family can enjoy lunch at The Maslow in the heart of Sandton, while listening to the Steven Lee duo, who will have you singing along as they cover some of your favourite hits.  

The menu includes a Tex-Mex station of tacos, nachos and tortillas, a Mediterranean deli and bakery and salad bar. A Curry Bar offers a mild lamb biryani with brown lentils and aromatic saffron rice, a butter chicken with roti and a vegetable and dhal curry served with basmati rice, poppadoms, sambals and fruit chutney.

“What Sunday lunch would be complete without a roast?” asks executive chef Omar Menhouk.

Tuck into slow-roasted sirloin with rosemary and thyme, served with horseradish sauce and gravy, lemon and herb chicken and grilled hake with a fennel, dill and caper-infused butter. Lunch is served between 1pm and 4pm  and costs R650 per person, R300 per kid aged 3 – 12 and free for children under 3 years. 

You can also enjoy a hearty lunch with mom at the Cradle Boutique Hotel in the Cradle of Humankind, choose between four main course options that includes slow-braised lamb shoulder and ricotta gnocchi with grilled vegetables and basil pesto.

“The menu that I created for this Mother’s Day at the Cradle Boutique Hotel is made up mostly of hearty food, reminiscent of the kind of meal that a family should share together...” says Sam Ramokoka – the new executive chef at the hotel.

The cost is R650 per person. The children’s menu for those aged under 12 is R195.

And if you want to spoil mom by making lunch yourself, here are some recipes for you to try:

Candice-lee Clark’s Lamb Shank with Parmesan Mash  

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil

4-6 lamb shanks 

1 large white onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, sliced

Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup flour

2 cups beef stock

1½ cups red wine (substitute with extra stock if required)

400g tomato puree

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 bay leaves  

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Remove lamb shanks from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature. Pat-dry lamb shanks with paper towel. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy based pot over medium-high heat. Sear two shanks in the hot oil until browned on all sides.

Repeat with remaining shanks and oil. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. In the same pan, sauté the carrots and diced onions until softened, (about 3 minutes), then add the garlic and cook for a minute.

Return the shanks to the pot and season with 1 teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook for 4-5 minutes to brown the flour. Add stock, wine, puree, tomato paste and herbs and bring to a simmer.

Cover, transfer to lower part of the oven and cook for 2½ hours, or until the meat is tender. Transfer the shanks onto a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Discard the bay leaves from the sauce and place pot back onto the stove and simmer sauce over medium heat until thickened to your desired consistency. 

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired. Add the shanks back into the pot of sauce and serve with Parmesan mash (recipe below).  

Parmesan Mash  

Ingredients

1.2 kg potatoes, peeled and chopped

30g butter

¾ cup milk

½ cup grated parmesan cheese  

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender. Drain, then return to pot and add the butter and milk and mash until smooth. Stir in the parmesan until well-combined. Serve hot with lamb shanks.

Chef Ukhonaye Mconi’s Tempura Broccoli

Ingredients 150g tender stem broccoli (trim any leaves on the stem)

200g flour (50g for initial dusting)

150ml sparkling water

8g smoked paprika

Oil for deep frying  

Method

In a bowl, whisk together the 150g flour, paprika and sparkling water, making sure it is not too thin or too thick (looking for a syrupy consistency). Preheat the oil. Dip the broccoli in the dusting flour (50g) then into the flour paste and straight into the hot oil. Cook till crispy. Strain the broccoli, drain on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper before serving.  

Chef Sam Ramokoka’s Tripe Stew  

Ingredients

Mogodu beef tripe x1kg

Onion chopped x 120g

Turmeric x 10g

Garlic x 20g

Beef stock x 2 teaspoon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Boil the tripe for 45 minutes, allow to simmer for another 45 minutes and add the spices and onions. Allow to thicken then serve.